by Anne Herries
‘And you are a rattlepate, Anne,’ her husband scolded with a smile. ‘It will not do to speak that way now. Henry is king whether it pleases you or no—and you may think yourself fortunate our guests are friends or you might find yourself in the Tower.’
‘No, I do not think so,’ Rob said with a smile for his hostess. He had noticed her kindness to Melissa and would not have her scolded. ‘Henry knows that not everyone will welcome him or his line—but if he marries Elizabeth of York his claim will be all the stronger.’
‘If he does,’ Sir Henry Shearer said with a wry look. ‘I have heard he is a mite reluctant, but we must hope that sensible counsel will prevail. You go to the coronation I believe?’
‘Yes, indeed, for I was bidden by the King,’ Rob said. ‘I would not offend him for the world, though it is my hope that I may be allowed to return home before too long has passed.’
‘There will be rebellions,’ Sir Henry said. ‘Take my word for it. I know that Lovell and the Staffords are dissenting. I think they will try to press the Earl of Lincoln’s claims.’
‘I trust you will not be led astray,’ Rob said. ‘Believe me, Henry Tudor is not a man to be easily dislodged. He has taken the crown and he will hold it no matter what he has to do…’
‘You do not want to listen to politics,’ Lady Anne said, drawing Melissa away. ‘Now that you are warm, I shall show you to your chamber. Let us go upstairs and then we shall eat.’
Melissa was drawn away, listening to her hostess’s chatter with half an ear. It was the first time that she had met any friends of Rob’s other than the men who fought by his side. She was interested in hearing how long they had known him and whether they were relatives, but Lady Anne was gabbling about inconsequential things and Melissa did not wish to interrupt her.
‘Now this is yours and Rob’s chamber,’ Lady Anne told her as she showed her into a medium-sized room that was well furnished. It had rush matting on the wooden boards, a large bed, chests on stands and a huge armoire in the corner. ‘I daresay you may have been used to having your own rooms, my dear, but I am afraid we have only the one guest room. The house is not large enough for a family of eight—we have six children, you see, and their nurses. However, you have not been wed long and I daresay you will not mind.’
‘No,’ Melissa said, and smiled as she glanced at the large bed. ‘No, I do not mind at all.’ At least she would not be alone when the darkness came this night. Rob would be there to protect her from the monsters in her mind…
Chapter Nine
It had been one of the most pleasant evenings of her life, Melissa thought as she went up to the bedchamber she was to share with Rob that night. Lady Anne and Sir Henry were considerate, generous hosts and they had a delightful family. Their eldest son was thirteen and quite the gentleman. He had been allowed to dine with them and had sat by Melissa, entertaining her with stories of his adventures at the school he had attended until that summer.
Melissa had also met the other five children of the marriage, three daughters and two more sons, one no more than six months old. She had enjoyed her brief visit to the nursery, and was enchanted with the loving relationship that existed between Lady Anne, her husband and children.
‘I did not know that it was possible to live as happily as you do,’ she told her hostess as they walked up the stairs together that night. ‘Thank you for sharing your home with me. It was a pleasure to meet your beautiful children.’
‘We do have a fine family,’ Lady Anne said, and glowed with pleasure at the compliment. ‘But do not imagine that they are always as good mannered, my dear. They were on their best behaviour for your sake—especially my darling James. I was very proud of him this evening. He intends to seek a position at court when he is sixteen, and his manners are so pretty that I think he may succeed.’
‘Yes, I am sure he will,’ Melissa agreed.
She wished her hostess good-night and went into the bedchamber. A fire had been lit in the large, ingle-nook fireplace, which made the room warm and comfortable. Instead of jumping into bed at once after she had undressed as she had often done in her father’s draughty house, she sat by the fire in her night rail. She had thrown a thin wrap about her shoulders and was sitting gazing into the fire when the door opened and Rob entered.
She turned her head and smiled at him. ‘It is such a luxury to have the fire, Rob,’ she said. ‘There was nothing to keep me warm at the castle and my father did not believe in fires on any but the coldest of days.’
‘This is how a home should be, Melissa,’ Rob said. ‘Henry was my friend when I was at school. Our fathers sent us away to learn to be gentlemen when we were very young. The school was at the house of the Earl of Scarborough, and though I missed my home I made many friends there.’
‘I like your friends,’ she told him, a little nervous as she stood up and went to him. ‘I am glad you brought me here, Rob.’
‘Then it was the right decision,’ he said, and reached out for her. He kissed her forehead and then released her. ‘Go to bed and sleep if you can,’ he said. ‘I have things to do and shall be late. I shall not disturb you.’
Melissa watched him leave, and then sat down on the edge of the bed. Why had he not stayed with her? He was kind and considerate, but he had left her to sleep alone yet again. Was it possible that he had married her simply for the lands she brought him?
Her heart did not want to believe it but her mind would not settle and it was a long time before she slept.
Downstairs, sitting before the fire, Rob was restless. He had longed to take Melissa in his arms and kiss her until she melted into him, as she had at Gifford. He wanted to have her wake beside him in the morning, to touch her and feel the softness of her flesh against his, to love her in every way.
He was almost sure that she would have come to him if he had pressed her, but he was afraid that if he asked too much too soon he might lose her or crush her spirit forever. She had suffered too much from the brutality of her father and half brother, and her ordeal in that terrible place had almost killed her. He must curb his impatience, win her to him slowly and teach her to trust him. It was little wonder if she did not trust him for there was a time when he had been harsh with her. He bitterly regretted it now, and wished that he might take back all the bitter words, but there was no way that he could erase that time from her mind.
All he could do was to hope that one day she would remember everything, and that when she did she would be prepared to forgive him.
In the morning, Melissa decided that she was a fool to doubt her husband. Why would he speak to her so kindly if he did not care for her? He was always so busy, and it might only be that he had not wanted to disturb her when it was done. She must be patient and wait for him to speak of whatever was on his mind, for sometimes when he looked at her she fancied she saw doubts in his eyes.
They had decided to stay another day with Lady Anne and Sir Henry, and Melissa spent the morning in her hostess’s stillroom helping her to bottle plums and pears.
In the afternoon she and Lady Anne sat at their sewing together while the gentlemen were out seeing to estate matters. The evening was spent happily in talking and laughing.
‘I shall miss you,’ Lady Anne told her as they went up the stairs later that night. ‘I hope that you will come and visit us again one day, Melissa.’
‘I should like that very much,’ Melissa said. ‘And I hope that you and your family will come to us when we are settled. We must keep in touch and always be friends. You have such lovely children…’ There was a slightly wistful look in her eyes, though she was not aware of it.
‘I shall write to you when my husband has occasion to send a letter to yours,’ Lady Anne promised and smiled at her. ‘But it will not be long before you have your own family to care for, my dear.’
Melissa’s smile dimmed, for there would be no children if Rob did not come to her bed. ‘Yes, perhaps. I hope it will be so for I should like to have several children.�
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‘You were an only child?’
‘I have a half brother, but he never liked me.’
Was it because of what Harold had done that Rob still stayed away from her bed? Melissa’s memory was still hazy in places, but some things had become clearer. She remembered that Rob had been angry for a long time. If they had quarrelled after they were married, it might explain why he was still so distant with her.
What would she do if he never forgave her? The thought of empty years ahead without love to warm her was somehow worse now that she had seen what life could be like in a happy home.
She could only pray that one day Rob would love her again.
Before she went to sleep she prayed that her husband would forgive her and she also prayed that Owain would be successful in finding her mother. It seemed unlikely that she lived, for surely she would have made some effort to see her only child?
It was a mystery and Melissa could only hope that one day she would know the truth.
Owain had not stopped or spared himself on his journey. He had been impatient to set out on this quest since Rob told him that there was a chance that the woman he had never ceased to love might still be alive.
He had believed Elspeth dead, and that her husband had been responsible. When it happened he had been away visiting his home. Owain was a freeman, his small property consisting of a few fields and a cottage managed for him by his brother Edgar of Harleston. In his youth he had been ambitious and had entered the lord of Meresham’s service with high hopes of preferment. However, he had soon enough discovered that his master was a ruthless man, and his wife a beautiful and gentle woman who was cruelly treated.
Owain had transferred his allegiance to her, though the only way he could stay by her side was to wear Lord Whitbread’s colours. When he had discovered that Elspeth had died of a fever after giving birth to a daughter, Owain had remained in his service, because he had known that it was the only way he could keep an eye on Elspeth’s child. He had had to watch Melissa being ill treated, able only to comfort and care for her from a distance. He had been there when she needed him, but he knew that she did not need him now for she had Rob to care for her. Therefore he was free to follow up this tale of a woman who might be Melissa’s mother.
Now he was approaching the Isle of Ely, and he could see the great towers of the magnificent cathedral that had been begun by Saint Ethelreda. It was here that Alanna and her kinsman Morgan of Hywell had come to pray for the miracle that would cure Morgan’s son. Apparently, a search had been made for Elspeth once before, but this time it would be thorough. Owain would not rest until he had explored all the avenues that were open to him.
If she still lived, he would find her. He frowned for he wondered why she had never tried to contact him or her daughter. He knew her as a loving, sweet lady, and could not believe that she would simply forget either Melissa or him.
If she had not tried to see them, it was for a good reason. And that meant that she might not wish to be found. But Owain was determined both for his own sake and hers, to say nothing of Melissa who wanted the story to be true so desperately.
Perhaps Elspeth was afraid of her husband. If that were the case Owain would be able to reassure her that she need no longer fear him—if and when he found her.
The noise and bustle in the streets of London surprised Melissa. It was a cool day in early October when they at last reached the city for they had made their journey in easy stages, staying with friends or at the various inns on their way. Rob had sent word ahead and a house had been secured for them. Situated close by the river, it was a large building with an undercroft and a timbered frame that protruded above the lime-washed stone walls below.
Passing through a busy market square, where the vendors were selling everything from the heads of pigs, fish and offal, to leather goods and iron pans, Melissa was forced to hold a scented kerchief to her nose. The stench was unpleasant in the narrow medieval streets, where an open ditch ran through and contained all kinds of filth thrown into it by an uncaring populace, but when they reached the newer houses built farther out it was much better. Here the streets were wider and there were still fields and gardens, which would be filled with perfume in the summer.
She was feeling weary as Rob helped her to dismount, for they had travelled many leagues these past days. However, as she went inside the house a woman came to meet them. She stared at her curiously for she seemed somehow familiar.
‘Are you my kinswoman, Alanna Davies?’
‘Melissa, my dear child,’ Alanna cried, embracing her. ‘I have thought of you so often and wished that we might meet. Owain has spoken of you to me, but while your father lived it was impossible to meet. This is a happy day.’
‘Yes, indeed,’ Melissa said, for she had taken to the kindly woman immediately. I too have wanted to meet, for there are things you may be able to tell me of my mother…’
‘Yes, for we were close when young. I went with her when she married and I witnessed her suffering. I was so happy when I learned that you had been wed to Sir Robert, because he is a good man and I hurried to do his bidding and meet you here.’
‘Alanna,’ Melissa said, kissing her warmly. ‘It is so good to see you at last. I would have asked you to come to me after the Abbess told me that you were with my mother shortly before she died—but my father would not have allowed it.’
Alanna made the sign of the cross over her breast. ‘Lord Whitbread is dead. I cannot say that I am sorry, for he was not a good man, but I hope that he is at peace.’
‘Yes, though perhaps he does not deserve it,’ Melissa said, and frowned. ‘My mother has been often in my thoughts of late. If she is still alive there must be a reason why she did not seek me out, for I do not think she would have forgotten that she had a daughter.’
‘Yes, you are right,’ Alanna said, and looked puzzled. ‘I too have wondered and I cannot imagine what would keep her from you, my dear. But we shall speak of this another day. Come in, for you must be weary.’
‘Yes, I am a little,’ Melissa agreed. She turned to look at Rob as he entered the hall. ‘Alanna is here.’
‘I am glad,’ Rob said, and came to take her hand. He smiled at Alanna. ‘You are welcome, mistress. I hope that you will stay with us for as long as you wish.’
‘She could come home with us, couldn’t she?’ Melissa asked, looking at Rob with a hint of pleading in her eyes.
‘Of course, my love,’ he said easily. ‘Mistress Davies is welcome to make her home with us if she so chooses. She would be company for you when I am from home.’
‘That is generous indeed,’ Alanna said. ‘May I think about it for a few days while you reside in London? Morgan of Hywell has been good to me, but I think he may take a bride soon and then I might prefer to live elsewhere.’
‘Then come back to Melford with us,’ Melissa urged.
‘I shall tell you in a few days,’ Alanna said. ‘Now I shall take you upstairs. You will be pleased to know that Rhona is here and eager to be reunited with you. She told me that she was glad to leave the castle for she has been treated ill and forced to work in the kitchens since you left.’
‘My poor Rhona. I was distressed when my father would not let me take her with me, but it is all so much better now,’ Melissa said. ‘I am so pleased you are here. It was good of you to come, Alanna.’
‘It was your husband who sent me the money to travel,’ Alanna said. ‘No doubt he wanted to please you, for I understand that you have suffered much since I last saw you—as has he, the poor man. That scar must have been painful when it was first inflicted.’
‘I think it still pains him at times,’ Melissa said, ‘though Naomi gave him something for it and I believe that it is beginning to heal at last.’
‘It does not disturb you?’
‘No, for he is my husband and I love him.’
‘You are truly fortunate to have found such a man,’ Alanna said. ‘I loved a man once but he did not notice me�
�’ She sighed and then her expression changed, becoming uncertain. ‘I must tell you that your half brother is in London. I have heard that he came to petition the King for the lands that were your father’s. He claims them as his right as Lord Whitbread’s natural son, but I do not know if his plea will succeed. You are the true heir to the Whitbread lands, Melissa.’
‘I do not care for my father’s lands,’ Melissa said. ‘I do not think that Rob wants them, either. What is ours by right is the estate left to me by my grandfather. If the King will grant us those lands, then Harold is welcome to Meresham.’
‘It is not that simple,’ Alanna told her. ‘Harold might indeed have a right to them for I believe it was your father’s intention to leave most of his wealth to him—but your father has been attained as a traitor and the lands are to become the property of the Crown.’
‘I see…’ Melissa frowned for she was not sure what would be the outcome. ‘I know that Harold feared my father would leave his manors to my sons, but he must know that it is different now.’
‘Be careful of him,’ Alanna warned. ‘I think he might do something violent if the King thwarts him. Especially if he believes that you are to benefit instead.’
‘But I do not want Meresham nor any of my father’s lands,’ Melissa said. ‘And Rob has told me that he does not intend to claim them in my name—only those lands that were my grandfather’s and mine by right.’
‘You have told me and I believe you,’ Alanna said, still looking anxious. ‘But your half brother probably believes otherwise. Now that you are come to London he may well imagine that you mean to claim what he thinks of as his.’
‘Rob will tell him that it is not so if they meet,’ Melissa said. ‘I hope that I need never see him again.’
The subject was dropped for they had reached the bedchamber, where Rhona was waiting to greet her mistress. The woman broke down in tears for she had believed that she would never see Melissa again and was overwhelmed when embraced.